Ever wondered how mobile marketing actually works? Where do you begin and how do you implement the best mobile marketing strategy for your business?

What is mobile marketing?

Mobile Marketing allows a business to communicate with consumers via mobile devices. This goes through either sending simple text messages, participation-based campaigns, or allowing the consumer to visit a mobile website.

Mobile Marketing tools include:

SMS (Short Message Services), also known as text messages,

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)

USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data)

Bluetooth Marketing

Mobile Internet and Social Media

Mobile Applications

Mobile Display Ads

Mobile Paid Search

Location-Based Advertising

Mobile marketing helps your business consolidate different communication channels in one simple, effective medium. Mobile marketing is, in fact, a streamlined version of traditional marketing that is cheaper than traditional marketing means – for both the consumer and the marketer. The advantage is that it is easy enough for any age group to understand and engage with, and with 163.9 million smartphone users in the US in 2014, it is in reality an essential step in any businesses marketing strategy.

Common Mobile Marketing Myths

There are many mobile marketing myths that need to be cleared up:

1. Everyone Has an iPhone: False

Only about 35% of the population owns any kind of smartphone. That is still a huge figure in the scope of things, but no, not everyone has an iPhone. On top of that, Android has a 41% share of smartphone users who have purchased a phone in the past 6 months. And that is 27% for Apple and 19% for Blackberry.

2. All you need is an App: False

A smartphone App is only one part of an effective mobile marketing strategy. Use as many mobile marketing tools as you can (SMS, QR codes, mobile-optimised website…). The consumer must have multiple opportunities to interact with your brand in order to build loyalty and yield success in your mobile marketing strategy.

3. Mobile users are all the same: False

Don’t miss out on reaching certain people because you think they’re behind the times. More than half of mobile technology users are ages 35 and older – it’s not just about Millennials or Generation Y.

A desktop website isn’t that easy to read and use through a mobile device. A consumer who can’t easily navigate your website on their mobile device most likely won’t come back again. You website must be optimised for mobile, or be “responsive”.

5. More content is better than little content: False

Too much content on mobile has a tendency to discourage users. Good content focuses on helping the consumer decide on their own to explore your business at a greater length. It’s not all about the quantity, but the quality.

Check back soon for more upcoming articles on mobile marketing and how to set up your strategy!